


Don't Waste Our Time

by oswinpxnd



Category: Black Mirror (TV), Victoria (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blind Date, Corruption, Domestic Fluff, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gay Panic, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Smut, for love obviously, the squad escapes a corrupt system
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2020-05-20 20:29:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19384114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oswinpxnd/pseuds/oswinpxnd
Summary: {INSPIRED BY THE BLACK MIRROR EPISODE "HANG THE DJ"}Alfred and Edward find each other after signing up for a new dating program that is known for matching you with your ultimate soulmate after a series of blind dates. What they didn't expect is to fall for each other instead of who The System ends up picking for them. With the help of a couple friends they also found, they find their way out of the program and into the freedom of each other's arms.





	1. He Felt Like More Than Just A Fling

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! BEFORE YOU READ THIS FIC, I recommend you watch the Black Mirror episode "Hang The DJ" if you want to have an idea where this fic will go down (though the ending will be different) and understand some things about it as that's what the plot is based on.  
> I know this is an odd crossover for Drumfred but I watched the episode and got inspired!  
> ANYWAY I hope the fic is enjoyable and my writing skills aren't too terrible <3 Enjoy!

_"The System is an interactive program that helps people of any age find their perfect partner. Through The System's history, we've had a 99.8% success rate and is known as the most accurate among couplet pairing._

_Each participant will have their own pocket-sized artificial intelligent called "_ **_Coach_ ** _" that will help direct them through many different relationships to find the perfect partner. Each relationship has a time limit which can range a few hours to whole years. Coach will calculate the results, reactions, and emotions during these relationships to find the participant's soul mate._

_All participants live inside The System's villages and will be able to leave once they meet their perfect partner._ **_Failure to Comply to rules or refuge out of The System's villages will lead to_ ** **_ serious consequences _ ** _."_ **_   
_ **

**__ **

**__ **

Edward walks up to the entrance of a large building and looks around. He takes out a palm-sized white disk from his pocket and takes a deep breath,

"Coach?" he asked it, putting it up closer to his face.

" _Yes, Edward"_ the small disk responded with a feminine voice, it's screen lighting up to show vocal waves. _  
_

Edward looked up at the building in front of him.

"Am I at the right place?"

" _Affirmative. Continue into Ciro's_."

Edward nodded nervously and puts Coach back into his pocket. He straightened his blazer and exhaled, entering into the restaurant.

 

Edward sits anxiously at his booth, bouncing his leg up and down and twiddling his fingers together.

Only earlier that week he had signed up for The System after his father basically forced him to. Last night he had officially moved into The System's "living quarters" which was all located in a built village outside of London, completely isolated from his friends and family. He hoped this dating program worked and he wasn't just going to waste the next couple years of his life.

Hearing faint frantic footsteps behind him, Edward turns and sees a man looking around the restaurant with his personal 'Coach' in hand. From what Edward can see in the dim saturated light, the man was young. and beautiful.

Edward gaped slightly. Was that  _him_?

He turned back around, taking out his own white disk from his pocket.

"Coach, can you tell me if the man at the entrance is who I am supposed to be having dinner with?" he whispered hopefully.

" _The partner you are assigned with is Alf-_ "

"Is this booth 207?" A voice said, joined with a hand lying lightly on Edward's shoulder, interrupting Coach. Edward quickly shoved the small AI back into his pocket, muffling the rest of its sentence.

"uhm- y-yes! Yes it is."

The man sat down on the opposite side of the booth, Edward watched him as he straightened his satin, blue blazer. He looked up, realizing he's being watched, and smiled.

"I guess I should introduce myself," the man chuckled, "Alfred Paget," he said, extending his hand out for Edward to shake.

Edward blushes slightly and takes Alfred's hand, "Edward Drummond."

It's a slightly awkward choice to shake hands with someone you're about to be in some sort of romantic relationship with but Edward assumed there was no other way to actually surpass an introduction in a 'blind date', so he just went along with it.

Alfred's hand felt smooth, soft even and the man seemed to have the face of an angel. From the entrance of Ciro's Edward could already see he was beautiful but up close, it was on a totally different level. Alfred's hair was a warm blonde and his eyes glimmered a crystal blue under the table light.

After 10 too many seconds of shaking hands awkwardly across the table and staring at each other, they let go of each other's hands.

Alfred takes his Coach out of his pocket and looks at it, "Unfortunately this is my first time on The System so I'm not certain, but I believe this is where we see how long we are going to be stuck with one another?"

Edward smiled while taking out his own Coach, it was nice to know he wasn't the only new one to the program.

"Don't worry you are not alone, I too am a virgin of society's 'new version of Tinder'."

Alfred laughed, "God, Tinder is ancient nowadays."

Edward shrugged, "Good for the old-fashioned I suppose."

Alfred looked up at Edward and smirked.

"Well, I am glad we can experience our first times together," he said genuinely.

He put his finger on the screen of his Coach, "On three?"

Edward nodded, putting his finger on his screen.

"one.. two.. three"

They both swipe their screens at the same time, revealing how long they have together.

Both of their smiles fade slightly, Alfred squints his eyes.

"12 hours," Edward says.

That's extremely disappointing.

He assumed when he signed up for The System that the relationships would be longer than at least a few days, and he especially wished a longer time with someone who looks like  _that_.

Alfred sighs and sets aside the white disk, Edward doing the same, "Let's not waste a minute then shall we?"

 

-

 

Edward walks up to the cabin with Alfred alongside him, he looks back and watches the car that dropped them off drive away. Turning back, he frowns.

"Is this your place?"

Alfred frowns as well, "I assumed this was yours."

Edward shook his head, he takes out Coach.

"Coach?"

The screen lights up, " _Yes Edward?_ "

Alfred steps closer next to Edward, watching him quietly.

"Where are we?" Edward asks, bringing it closer to his mouth as if it would help make his voice clearer. Alfred smiles slightly, knowing there was no need for Edward to do that.

" _You have arrived at your assigned living quarters_."

Edward blinked, "Odd."

Alfred looked up at the front door, "Well then, I guess we better make our way in."

Edward nods. He grins at Alfred, feeling a bit brave, he motions his hand out.

"After you."

"You're too kind," Alfred smirked, winking at Edward and making him blush.

 

When they entered their abode for the night, the fireplace inside was already lit, and soft music was playing through the speakers hidden in the ceiling. It was cozy, built specifically for two people.

Alfred looked around in fascination, a shame he and Edward would only be spending a night here.

The interior was a mixture between a lodge and a modern condo, with square-like decorations and white walls but complimented with warm wooden beams, tables, and cabinets. With the main light being the dim lamps and the fireplace, it made the cabin seem vibrant against the dark night sky that could be seen through the big windows.

Edward follows Alfred when he makes his way curiously behind the wooden wall of the fireplace. Behind it opens immediately up to the bedroom, a clean, cool-hued room with skylights over the bed.

"Oh, This will do just fine." Alfred mused, looking back at Edward who stood directly behind him.

Edward grinned and looked at the bed. Though he and Alfred had just met only 2 hours ago, he knew what was probably expected of them in the remaining 10 hours they have together.

Not that he was complaining of course.

Alfred inhaled and paused as if he was deciding what to do now. Edward could see a slight smirk forming on his lips. Alfred turned around and looked up at him, their faces only a few inches apart.

"After you," he whispered, mocking Edward's words from earlier.

Edward flushed slightly, the heat in his body rising immediately.

He stood silent for a moment, Alfred switching his gaze from his eyes to his lips, waiting for him to make a move.

Edward finally leans in, softly kissing Alfred's lips. They break away for a moment, barely breathing before moving in again and engulfing each other. Their movement becomes faster, their kisses more passionate as if they weren't getting enough.

 

-

 

Earlier at dinner, Edward connected immediately with Alfred. He'd been on dates and even a few one night stands before but he had never found someone he's felt so comfortable with.

He and Alfred spoke of their interests, music (which Edward was informed that at some point, if he could, Alfred was determined to "improve his music taste", whatever that means), childhood and other random things that came up.

Apparently, Alfred has "too many" siblings and all of his elder siblings have successfully used The System. They all would bug him to try it as his love life seemed to be failing at the time.

"I was growing jealous of all the weddings I was getting invited to, tired of seeing couples everywhere I go and then coming home alone." Alfred sighs, "I gave into the leading temptation of just getting over it and signing up in spite of myself promising that I'd be different from my siblings.. so.."

".. So here you are." Edward finished.

A smirk grew on Alfred's face, "Here I am."

 

Time slipped away from both of them as they chattered on and on, flirting and laughing and sharing cheeky glances.

 

-

 

In between heavy kisses, Alfred pulls him toward the bed by the lapels of his blazer.

They fall onto the bed while Edward hastily takes off his blazer, he tosses it somewhere on the floor without looking. They break away from each other's lips as they help each other unbutton their shirts and trousers, Alfred being about two seconds away from saying "fuck it" and ripping their clothes off.

After fumbling with buttons and zippers, Edward crashes Alfred's lips once again with passionate kisses. He tasted like champagne and his skin felt as warm as the sun.

 

-

 

Edward takes a swallow of his food, "Alright, if you had the choice, would you rather be a royal monarch or a powerful leader in the government?"

Alfred snorts, "Interesting question."

Edward shrugs, taking a sip of his champagne.

"Let's see, wear diamonds and be spoiled all my life or be surrounded by grumpy old men for days on end. I think the diamonds sound more appealing, don't you think?"

Edward laughed, "Monarchs do more than just wear crowns, Alfred."

"Yes, but at least I'd look expensive while doing my paperwork!" Alfred chuckles, "Anyway, politics bore me to my grave, deciding who sits where at my dinner table sounds much more exciting than party debates."

Edward smiled, "Then I shall not bore you with my nerding of law and politics."

Alfred took a drink of his champagne, "Well, now, if  _you_  start speaking law then I may consider on listening."

Edward chuckled, raising his glass, "I'll keep that in mind, and if you ever become king, I shall offer to serve you for as long as you want."

"and what would you serve me, Mr. Drummond?" Alfred teased.

"Anything you desire, your majesty," Edward smirked.

"Anything?"

"Anything."

 

-

 

Alfred's eyes were a dream. Dazed with lust and passion, they reflected a vibrant blue heaven and Edward admittedly fell in love with them. They shadowed behind long eyelashes that fluttered against his skin during lush kisses.

Edward couldn't get enough of Alfred, he wanted every part of him and with the clock ticking in his sub-consciousness, there was no going slow between either of them.

 

Afterwards, as Alfred sleeps soundly on his chest, Edward stares up into the skylight, watching the stars peek through the thin clouds.

He reaches over to the bedside table beside him and picks up his Coach, the screen shines a digital "6:57:58" back at him. Edward sighs and puts it back down, 7 hours left. Only 7. Basically, in the morning they wake up and leave, there's not even enough time to eat breakfast together.

Then what? They go on with their lives until they are assigned with someone else and the cycle repeats? Would they even see each other afterward? According to the pamphlet Edward read when signing up, it was very rare for two people to be matched up more than once.

Edward looks down at Alfred, he strokes his hair gently.

What if Alfred forgot about him? It will be almost impossible for Edward to forget him, and it'd be heartbreaking to find out that he in return was not remembered.

Edward felt like he's known Alfred forever, yet it's only been five hours. Not even a full day.

Only five hours and seven more to go and then they were to be separated, the more Edward thought about that the more he didn't want it. He wondered what would happen to a couple that went against the rules and stayed for longer than what they were supposed to. Edward threw away that thought, he didn't want Alfred or himself to be harmed because of his foolish fleeting ideas. Plus who knows, if this one night stand -if Edward can even call it that-, and other couplings to come is to match him with his "ultimate soulmate", then he might as well try and detach himself because somehow there is someone out there better than Alfred.

But a part of him just doesn't want to let him go.

Edward watched him sleep, Alfred's eyelids stirring as he dreams. Edward frowns sadly, he will miss him dearly.

 

-

 

Edward closes the front door of the cottage behind him. He and Alfred both have their Coaches in hand, watching the screen as it's countdown goes from 10 seconds to 0. At each number, Edward's wistfulness of the previous night increased. The more it went down the more he didn't want to say goodbye.

When it hits 0, both men hesitate. Edward looks up and clears his throat.

"I guess this is goodbye."

Alfred nods, "I assume so."

They look at each other, eyes full of unsaid words yet neither know what to say.

Alfred smiles shyly, "See you around."

Edward smiles back and nods, "See you around." he repeats with a hint of sadness.

Alfred reluctantly turns around and begins walking away. Edward watches him for a few moments, he has a fleeting temptation to run after him but he pushes it away. He then turns around and walks in the opposite direction.

 

As Edward walks down the hilly road, only five minutes away from the cabin he and Alfred just left from, his Coach began to ring. Edward frowns and takes it out of his pocket. Its screen was lit up, showing Edward's profile.

" _You have a new match_."

Edward looks at it confused, "Already? I've only just left-"

" _Arrive at Ciro's in two hour_ s."

Then the screen went off. Without another word. Edward puts it back in his pocket and continues walking. Alright, it looks like he will have to move on quicker than he originally thought.


	2. Alfred's Second Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred is set up with his second 'blind date', and his partner is someone unexpected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the love on the previous chapter <3  
> Now I've been thinking about making a spotify playlist for this fic as I do listen to the same like 10 songs when writing this so if that sounds interesting let me know in the comments!

Alfred sits waiting at a booth in Ciro's, taking small sips of his champagne and restricting himself from chugging the entire glass. It's only been a few hours since he left from his last relationship (or one night stand?) and immediately he was assigned a new partner. He assumed The System would at least give him a day to recover and reflect the previous night as it was unforgettable, but apparently he was wrong.

Alfred's thoughts were interrupted by a sweet voice,

"Excuse me, is this booth 209?"

Alfred looks up and sees a young woman wearing a floral dress, he frowns.

"Yes, it is.."

The woman also frowns slightly but sits down in the seat across from Alfred. They look at each other confusingly for a moment, something obviously wasn't right...

"Are you sure this is booth 209?" she said.

Alfred chuckles, "Yes but it seems something isn't correct." Was HE at the wrong table?

They both pull out their personal Coaches from their pocket and purse, they check through their profile to see who their actual assigned partner was supposed to be.

"It says it's right," she says.

But she's a woman? and Alfred is very much  _not_  into women. It also doesn't seem like she's into men either. Maybe The System isn't perfect after all.

Alfred shakes his head, "There must be a glitch in the system because I'm interested in men-"

"I'm interested in women." The woman said at the same time as Alfred finished his sentence.

They both smile and Alfred laughs slightly, "Well then if you want, we can make this into a platonic agreement since The System insists on us being together."

The woman smiles and holds out her hand, "Sounds like a deal. I'm Wilhelmina Coke by the way, but most people call me Mina."

Alfred shakes her hand, it feels delicate but firm, if differs from the smoothness of Edward's hand yesterday.

Mina sighs and picks up her Coach again, "Now I'm not sure how long you've been on The System but these past few years I've learned it's better to find out how long you'll be together right away rather than to wait."

Alfred nods, "I agree. On three?"

"One."

"Two."

"Three." They say together, swiping the screens of their personal AI's at the same time.

Alfred's mouth drops slightly, he hears Mina gap as well.

"9 months," Mina says blankly.

Alfred had to laugh in spite of the shock, he went from 12 hours to  _9 months_.  _With a woman._ and neither of them could see anyone else in the meantime. It was quite a smack in the face, to be honest. Luckily Mina is not into him and they agreed on only being friends but he hopes she won't turn out to be someone intolerable.

Mina raised her eyebrows as she slowly put her Coach back in her purse. Alfred put his back into his pocket.

"All I am going to say is that you better not be a snorer," Mina said.

Alfred laughed, "No, at least I hope I'm not but I've never gotten any complaints."

Mina smiled, "Then these next nine months shouldn't be too horrible."

 

 

The more Alfred talked with Mina the more they got along. In the matter of an hour, they were talking as if they've been best friends for years. He and Mina laughed at each other's embarrassing stories and complained of the ridiculousness that the world is coming to. They spoke of their hobbies and failing love lifes, having surprisingly a lot in common.

"How long have you been on The System?" Alfred asked, taking a bite of his pasta.

Mina rolled her eyes and lightly swayed her wine glass, "Too long."

Alfred huffed a laugh, "How many people have you been paired with?"

Mina shrugged hopelessly, "I've lost count now, it assigns you to someone new almost right after the last. But you, sir," she pointed her finger toward Alfred, "-are the first man I've ever been paired with."

"Well I am flattered to be your first" Mina huffed at that,

"-and hopefully I will be the last as you deserve to meet the woman of your dreams."

"Thank you." Mina smiled warmly, "and  _you_  deserve to meet the man of  _your_  dreams."

Alfred held his breath, his smile faltered for a moment. ' _What if I already have?'_

He wondered where Edward was now. Or rather who he was with.

How lucky they were.

Alfred lifted his glass of champagne and strengthened his smile.

"To finding our soul mates," he says.

Mina lifted her glass up to Alfred's.

"To finding our soul mates."  _  
_

_-_

Mina opened the door to the cabin they will be sharing for the next nine months. She walked in carelessly and dropped her purse onto the sofa, going straight to the kitchenette. Alfred slowly walks in behind her, he freezes after closing the door behind him.

This cabin looks exactly like the one he shared with Edward last night.

Mina looked back at him from the counter, noticing the puzzled expression on his face.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

Alfred shook his head lightly, looking around the dimly lit cabin.

"This place... It looks exactly like the one I was in yesterday."

Mina smiled and went back to looking in the cupboards, "All of the cabins look the same, Alfred. You'll get senses of de ja vu a lot, trust me."

Alfred sighed, he makes his way over to the kitchenette and watches Mina look through the food in the cupboards. She picks up boxes of biscuits, pasta noodles and cereal, reading them all and putting them back in their place.

"I'm assuming you haven't been here for very long, correct?" she asks, reading the label of a peanut butter jar and putting it back in the cupboard.

Alfred shook his head, "No I haven't, the one last night was..." he begins toying with the sleeve of his blazer, "... my first."

Mina closes the cupboard door and opens the next one beside it, "Then you have a lot to learn mister, tomorrow I can show you around and tell you all about ' _the wonders of The System_ '."

Alfred chuckles slightly, "Sounds exciting."

"It's as exciting as it's going to be here, it'll be the highlight of your next 9 months," Mina laughs.

She picks up a jar of fettuccini Alfredo sauce, after reading the label Mina snorts and shows it to Alfred.

Alfred rolls his eyes, knowing that joke quite well from his siblings, and turns to sluggishly make his way to the bedroom.

As soon as he makes eye contact with the bed, memories flood into his brain.

Flushed cheeks, chestnut curls and warm skin flash in Alfred's memory.

He smirks lightly, oh how he missed it already.

The blue light streamed down from the skylights and onto the grey bed sheets that felt familiar to Alfred's touch. But now when he touched the sheets, they were cold and unloved. Dull in comparison of what they were the night before.

Alfred lets himself fall onto the bed, he breathes in the sheets and they no longer smell like leftover cologne. He closes his eyes and squeezed the sheet under his fist, breathing in the silence of the room for a few moments.

9 months.

_12 hours_.

Alfred turns over on his back and runs his hand through his hair.

He needs to get used to this. Jumping from person to person, forgetting the last as he moves forward. But what if he didn't want to? Alfred knew what he was getting into when he entered but he didn't know he'd meet someone so significant so early on in the program.

Maybe signing up for this wasn't the best idea.

 

 

 

Later that night Alfred lays awake in bed, looking up at the sky. Beside him, Mina sleeps soundly on her side facing away from him. Alfred has no doubts now that he'll be able to tolerate Mina as she was brilliant and easily a friend of his but as she is assigned as his romantic partner, he won't be able to see anyone else in the meantime.

Meaning he will become very,  _very_  lonely in the next nine months.

He kept thinking of Edward, thoughts of him lingered in the back of Alfred's mind all day. Ever since they said goodbye.

No. Not goodbye. He said 'See you around.' because goodbye meant forever. Alfred didn't want to believe that it'd be the last time they see each other. and Edward said it back.

Alfred took a look at his Coach, the screen lit up a countdown of "8m 29d 23h". Alfred sighed and placed it back down on the table beside him.

Time to start counting down the days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos give me life! xx


	3. Edward's Second Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward's second date using The System and it's someone he was not expecting..

Edward makes his way rather clumsily down the pavement to Ciro's, bumping into people as he runs by and apologizing to each of them quickly. He was running a few minutes late, got distracted by daydreaming  ~~about a certain someone~~  and didn't realize how fast time had gone.

After a handful of "I'm sorry, pardon me"'s, Edward stops at the entrance of Ciro's. Bending over to catch his breath he notices his shoelace has come undone. He curses softly and kneels to tie it.

' _The fun never ends does it?_ ' he thinks sarcastically.

After calming his breaths, Edward looks up at the big red fluorescent letters of Ciro's.

He wonders if Alfred will also be dining with someone this evening. It's most likely but Edward secretly hopes he isn't. The idea of seeing Alfred flirt with someone the same way he flirted with him and then later tonight knowing quite well what they will be doing, gave him a strangely intense feeling of jealousy.

Edward had to admit he missed him terribly. He missed Alfred's voice, he missed his sapphire eyes,  ~~he missed his lips and just about every other part of his body~~. Where was he now?

Before getting sucked into daydreams once again, Edward takes a deep breath and forces himself through the door.

When he entered, he spotted a few booths with people waiting in them. Edward pulled Coach out of his blazer pocket and pulled it up near his lips.

"Coach, what booth am I in?" he whispers.

_"Your assigned partner is waiting for you at table 204_." the robotic feminine voice responded.

Edward gulped and nodded nervously, "Thank you."

" _My pleasure_."

He stuffs the white disk back into his pocket and makes his way to the booth, from what he could see it was someone with blonde hair.

_Blonde_  hair.

_'Don't get your hopes up too high, Edward.'_ he says to himself.

He paces his steps quicker in spite of himself, but when he got to the booth -much to his expectations- the tips of blonde hair was not Alfred.

It was- what?

Edward stopped abruptly at the table, a woman with her golden hair put up in a bun looked up at him.

Her face lit up upon the sight of him, she stood up quite flustered and greeted him with a warm smile.

"You must be my partner for the evening!" she said.

Edward laughed slightly, was this 204? Did he go to the wrong table? He wouldn't put it past himself, to be honest.

"I'm Florence Kerr, and you?"

Edward blinked, she stared at him for a moment waiting for an answer.

"Oh! Uhm- my apologies, Edward Drummond." he went to shake hands with Florence but she pulled him in for a hug.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Edward!"

Edward frowned but politely returned the hug. He could smell her perfume, a mixture of lavender and lemon.

Edward looked at the table number before they pulled away, and he was not mistaken it was table 204. Was  _she_  at the wrong table?

It's too late to say anything now as Florence sits back in her seat, motioning him to sit across from her. Edward internally sighs and reluctantly sits down in the booth.

They both sit in awkward silence, Edward looks around still not really knowing what to do.

Florence keeps a small smile on her face, watching Edward and probably waiting for him to make the first move.

She clears her throat, making him look back in her direction.

"Is this your first time too?" Florence laughed slightly, "I've only joined a few days ago."

Edward gulped, "I've been with uhm- one other person.."

"Oh.." Florence nods awkwardly, "How long did it last?"

"Twelve hours."

She tilted her head, "Twelve hours?"

Edward chuckled lightly and nodded.

"Was she nice?" Florence asked after a few moments.

Edward looked at her and laughed nervously, "Well actually.."

"You don't need to tell me if you don't want to-"

"-No it's alright, erm.." Edward tried to gather his words, god could he get any more awkward?

" _He_ , was very kind."

Florence raised her eyebrows, "Oh!" she smiled, "That's great!"

Edward nodded with a thin lined smile. Maybe now she sees there is something wrong here?

Florence leaned forward and laid her hand on Edward's arm.

"Don't worry, I'm definitely not against it," she said with a warm smile, "I'm also attracted to both men and women."

Edward frowned and looked down at Florence's hand.

What?

Wait...

_Oh._

So that's why she sees nothing wrong.

He opened his mouth to object but a waiter arrived with champagne before he could.

Edward sighed but smiled at Florence, she would not seem to keep her eyes off him.

They sit in awkwardly as the waiter pours their champagne, making Edward's yearning to bang his head against the table increase at every second.

After the waiter left, Edward glanced at Florence's Coach that she had placed on the table next to her.

He clears his throat, "Would you like to know how much time we have?"

Florence looked at her coach and shrugged, "If you'd like."

Edward takes his out of his pocket, "From what I remember, we do have to check it at the same time for it to work."

"Ready when you are," she says sweetly.

He smiles slightly, Florence watches him to make sure she swipes her screen at the same time he does.

When Edward sees the revealed time, his face drops.

"12 months!" Florence says happily.

Edward felt like going into mourning.

His brain momentarily short-circuited, he blinked his eyes to make sure his screen actually said '12 months' and not 12 hours again.

He looked up and gave Florence the strongest smile he could force himself to give and then slowly put his coach back into his pocket.

He was sure Florence was a sweet girl and he will have a whole year to find that out but he could not act like he was interested in her.

and there was no backing out. No dating anyone else instead. They were stuck with each other. For the next 12 months. Edward has never wanted to disappear more than he does now.

Florence takes her champagne glass and raises it, "To the next twelve months that will help us find our number one."

Edward lifted his glass as well, "To finding our number one."

They clink glasses and take a drink. As they sip, Edward hears laughter from a few tables behind him. He's tempted to look behind him but Florence begins another conversation, he ignores the thought but for a moment it almost sounded as if that laughter belonged to Alfred. If only he were with him instead.

 

 

From what he's learned about Florence and her endless chatter is, she's an only child, studied History at Uni, has a strict family and was forced to sign up for The System by her father.

At least Edward could relate to her through that.

Though he had a younger sister, he was always the one expected to have a good successful life (mostly pushed to have a career that was political) and with a family someday.

He understood the pressure of strict parents, especially the tension of a father looking over your shoulder 24/7.

After arguments with his father about signing up for The System to help him find the "perfect partner to perfect your political reputation", Edward gave in because if he didn't, his father would've assigned him someone.

Someone who was not in his particular liking.

At least The System gave him some space, some time to breath without anyone looking over him.

But now Edward knows that even this program wasn't entirely perfect...

Florence spoke about her past with failed relationships, how she tried the old-fashioned dating apps and nothing worked. It made her father frustrated, and that made her desperate for anything.

She said she first heard of The System's program through friends. It was becoming the new craze, almost everyone in the UK seems to be trying it out. Some rumors were speaking that it was becoming global.

The System and its glory of an almost perfect 99.8% match rate.

But why wasn't it 100%? What if they didn't end with their 'perfect match'?

What if you find your perfect match beforehand? Was that apart of the other 00.2%?

Florence lays her chin in her hand, "So far the program has lived up to its name, it doesn't seem to be doing too bad."

Edward raises his eyebrow for a moment, he could speak otherwise.

Florence looks at the time on her watch, "God, it's already half past eight! We should probably get on our way."

Edward simply nods in agreement and takes the last bit of his champagne in one swallow, who knows what the night (or the next twelve months) to come will entail.

 

A small cab was waiting for them as they make their way out of Ciro's, Edward slows his steps while Florence goes to sit in the back seat. He takes a curious look at the cab, noticing things he didn't see the previous night in his cab with Alfred. The windows of the driver's seat were tinted so dark he couldn't see inside, but the back of the cab where he and Florence were to be sitting was open with no windows at all.

Edward frowns slightly.

"Aren't you coming?" Florence asks.

Edward looks at her and then back at the cab, "yeah," he replies absently, before sitting in seat beside her.

As the cab begins to drive off, Edward takes out his Coach.

" _11mo 30d_ "

The countdown shines back at him as a tormenting reminder. A reminder of why he regrets agreeing to this ridiculous program in the first place.

Edward sighs and puts it back in his pocket.

He feels Florence nonchalantly scoot closer to him. Edward looks at her from the corner of his eye, he shuffles in his seat awkwardly to secretly tell her to move away.

Instead, she takes it as an open invitation to lay her head on his shoulder. Edward internally groans, looking down at Florence with a thin-lipped smile.

He curses his inability to speak up when most needed, wondering when there will be a good time to say that _he's not interested_. It doesn't help that he hates upsetting people, he's "annoyingly kind" as an old friend said once.

Edward watches the trees and small hills as they pass by, keeping his eye on the wall that bordered the village. It was a simple brick wall but too tall for anyone to climb over.

Their cab drives by what Edward remembers as the entrance of The System's village, it was a gate that looked heavily guarded for a presumably peaceful system.

Edward squints slightly and then turns his focus to the lit cabin in the distance.

Cabin 204.

' _Finally_ ', he thought.

 

 

Stepping into the cabin, Edward closes the door behind him and glances around slowly.

"This is lovely!" Florence exclaimed, spinning to see the entirety of the interior.

Edward bit his cheek, dragging his fingers across the top of the sofa as he walked by.

All of the houses must have the same design. He felt as he was walking through a flashback of the previous night.

"Don't you think?" Florence asked.

"It's er.. cozy."

Florence stopped and raised her eyebrows slightly at Edward, "Cozy?"

He stared at her blankly. What else was he suppose to say? An essay on how symmetrical the decor was?

Edward shook his head. "Sorry," he chuckled awkwardly, "I'm a bit under the rumps at the moment, 'cozy' is all I could come up with."

A smile formed on Florence's lips, she looked down shyly and let out a laugh.

"You're funny," she said looking back up at him.

Edward grinned at her. Genuinely, this time.

There was a silence between them as they stand on opposite sides of the living room, for the first time of the night it was oddly comfortable. He waited for her to say something but her lips stayed closed.

 

 

Edward laid down on the couch, adjusting the pillows while he gazed at the cabin lights above him. Once he got comfortable he took a deep breath.

Florence was currently in the bathroom, doing whatever she needed to do and Edward's guilt grew earlier when he watched her close the door. She was a sweet girl, very kind and ambitious.

He closed his eyes, pulling a pillow over his face.

He felt awful for holding his tongue and again, passing up an opportunity to say something when they had a moment of silence only minutes ago. She deserved better as a first date. She really, really did.

He plans on sleeping on the couch for as long as he's allowed to, hoping Florence doesn't expect him to participate in any  _activities_. The sofa may not be the most comfortable thing in the world but it would do.

"Edward, what are you doing on the sofa?"

Edward peaked from under the pillow and saw Florence looking at him amused, leaning against the wall to the bedroom.

"I just thought that uhm.." he took the pillow off his face, "- we could sleep separately on the first few nights, to give us more time to get used to each other." he said, looking nervously at the pillow in his hands.

Florence tilts her head, "Are you sure your comfortable?", she looked at his scrunched up legs that he had tightly cramped with the rest of his body.

"I'll be alright," Edward said, trying his best to sound genuine and reassuring.

Florence frowned but sighed, giving in to his ridiculousness.

"Right then," she said, "Good night, Edward."

Edward closed his eyes again, "Good night."

He could hear her walk into the bedroom almost hesitantly, the lights in the cabin immediately dim to complete darkness. Leaving nothing but the moonlight as Edward's companion for the night.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos give me life! <33


	4. Book Shops and Suspicions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward and Florence spend a day at the downtown book shop, while Mina and Alfred discuss his worries about his future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter where not much happens but building relationships and information for the future... *insert eyes and tea cup emojis here*

Alfred stumbles on his steps to keep up with Mina who is dragging him by the arm down the street, "anddd here is considered 'town square' even though it's only a few small shops and then Ciro's."

 

"Mina you can stop dragging me-"

 

"Though between you and me, I don't think the shops shouldn't be considered 'shops' because you can't actually buy anything and take it back with you."

 

Alfred frowned, "Why are they there then?"

 

Mina shrugs, still full grip on Alfred's arm, "To feel more 'normal' I guess?"

 

Alfred stops abruptly to get Mina's pull on his arm off, laughing slightly when she huffs in protest, "I'm not a child you know, I will walk with you."

 

Mina rolls her eyes, "But you're so slow!" she looks across the street and gasps, grabbing Alfred's arm again, "Come on Paget!"

Alfred groans but reluctantly goes with her so his arm wouldn't be yanked off his body.

 

They stop in-front of an apparent 'book shop' with huge windows that showcase the inside.

Alfred looks inside, it was set up like an old library and there were only a few people inside.

"This is my favorite place in the town." Mina said smiling and patting Alfred's arm, "It gives me a sense of home."

"Can we go inside?" Alfred asks, wanting to do something other than have his arm dislocate from being pulled.

Mina looked at her watch, "No, I still have a lot to show you."

Alfred sighed as Mina grabs his arm again and began pulling him away from the window.

 

-

 

Edward walks through a tall, dim aisle of book shelves, looking up at the endless books above his head. He and Florence decided to explore the 'town square' area of the village and the book store seemed to be the only place that interested them both. Edward didn't understand why its called a book  _shop_  when he was denied buying a book he wanted at the front counter. It was more of a library than anything.

Either way it was a warm little 'shop', with dark wooden shelves that towered over him and small aisles only a bit wider than his shoulders. The only light was the huge windows up front and small lanterns that hung from the ceiling.

It smelt of old books and coffee and it felt the most familiar to Edward than any other place there.

Edward fiddles with a small, red book in his hands as he searches for the Political Science section. For a modern system, he was shocked to see a lot of older books. Granted there was a young adult fiction section in the front of the shop that was secretly just romantic novels from the last 5 years but it seems the further back you went the books got older and older. He wouldn't be surprised if he found an original copy of Wilde's  _Dorian Gray_  or Shakespeare's  _Hamlet_.

The aisles were darker too, with probably the only visitor being a spider that hides behind the books. Edward wondered if it's intentional for the shop to be set up this way.

Finally at the very back aisle, dim and dusty, his beloved Political Science sits patiently in front of him.

Edward strolls through the organized sections, tracing his finger lightly on the books as he looks for the correct slot. Finding it, he slips the small red book back in the shelf and takes a step back.

He rubs the back his neck, it was extremely tense from sleeping on that ridiculous couch last night and straining it from side to side did not help it.

Gazing up at the tall shelves above him, Edward feels a light bump on his arm.

"What are you looking for?" Florence asks quietly, following Edward's eye up the shelf.

Edward shrugs and puts his hands in his pockets, "Nothing in particular, just wishing they had newspapers so we could see if the prime minister has finally lost her wits."

Florence laughs lightly, "I think she's already lost it years ago."

Edward chuckles and nods his head in amused agreement. He looks at Florence, noticing the bulky book she was carrying close to her chest.

"What book you've got there?" he asks.

Florence looks at him and then down at her book, she hesitates for a moment before securing the book close to her chest again.

"Just a book I picked out from the aisle in front of us." she says, shrugging lightly as if it didn't matter.

Edward tilts his head, "But that aisle is the law and economics section."

Florence looks back up at him and smiles lightly, "Yes. It is."

Edward looks at her in bewilderment and then at the book, "But why were you there?"

"I don't know, why are you here drooling over the political section?" Florence laughed.

Edward chuckled, "because I'd like to go into politics!"

"Well I'd like to go into law!"

Edward calmed his soft laughter, "Really?" he asked genuinely.

Florence's smile faded slightly, she looked back down at the book she held, "I'd love to, I've always wanted to though I know it's ridiculous."

Edward turned toward her and shook his head lightly, "I don't think it's ridiculous."

In fact he thought it was brilliant. From what he knew about Florence she had the skills to go into that field, she loved to discuss things and get both sides of stories, and there definitely isn't enough women in law as there should be.

Florence looks up at him, and smiles softly.

"Thanks."

Edward smiles back at her, "Though unfortunately you can't buy that book, I tried buying one earlier and I was denied."

Florence huffs a laugh and frowns, "But it's a book shop."

Edward shrugs amusingly, "I know, but apparently you can't buy the books."

"I wonder why that is."

"Maybe there was a robbery in the past."

"But who would steal books?" Florence chuckled.

"Maybe they were really good books that they just couldn't leave behind." Edward joked.

Florence looks at him in disbelief and rolls her eyes, "You're ridiculous."

"Maybe I am but that doesn't mean I'm wrong." Edward raises his eyebrows like he's made an excellent point.

Florence sighs, "Come on then, if we can't buy any of these 'really good books' then there's no point in being here."

She began to walk away but stopped and turned, "I'll see you up front." she says, giving Edward another smile before walking away.

Edward's face falls when she leaves the aisle, he takes out Coach from his pocket and looks at the countdown.

' _11m 28d 16hr_ '

He bits on his lip, guilt building up in his mind again. He didn't want to be rude to Florence to keep her away, and she wasn't the worst person in the world so if anything he'd like to be a friend to her but still try his best to not be  _too friendly_.

 

-

 

With a wine glass in hand, Mina plops down on the sofa next to Alfred as he's looking at their expire countdown. She looks at it too and makes a face of disagreement.

_'8m 28d 15hr_ '

The digital numbers glared back at him like a cat. It's only been a day since he was assigned with Mina and it hasn't been bad at all but Edward seemed to still creep back into his thoughts as time went on. God knows what he's doing. Probably off with some super model of a man and had already forgotten about him.

"beaty little thing, isn't it?" Mina says, taking a sip of her wine.

"I feel like it's judging me."

Mina huffed a laugh, "In some forms, yeah."

Alfred puts his coach to the side and grabs a pillow to hug instead.

Mina frowns and tilts her head, "What's the matter?"

"What if we're never assigned with our soulmates?" he asks, pouting into his pillow.

"What if we are stuck in this cycle of one relationship after another, and it just goes on and on until we are as old as dust because we are just so incompatible with everyone, The System just can't find someone that would love you unconditionally?"

Mina sighed and took another drink from her wine, "Don't over think too much, Alfred. People get sent to what they call 'pairing day' almost every day. You won't be here forever."

"Then why have you been here for, as you said, 'Too Long'." Alfred asks.

"Because I am  _actually_  incompatible."

Alfred huffed in protest, "Oh stop it, you are not! If I were a woman I would marry you on the spot."

Mina smiled and shook her head playfully, taking sip from her glass.

They went into silence as both of them began thinking. Alfred hugged his pillow tighter and began to pout again, rethinking his life decisions and how they led to where he is now.

"What if you fall in love with someone before The System matches you up with a different person?" he asked sadly.

Mina looked at him and then at her wine glass that was almost empty.

"I'm not sure... I guess that's really never been a thought that's come through my mind while in here."

Alfred sighs, adjusting his chin on the pillow.

"But don't fret, Alfred. Honestly. It's already torturous half the time so making yourself even more miserable by over-thinking will not make that countdown go faster. I promise you, when you do leave -AND YOU WILL- you will leave happy and alongside the love of your life. It will be worth it."

Alfred smiled softly, "I hope you're right."

"I am, and now it's getting late so-" she sets her now empty wine glass on the coffee table in front of them, "I'm going to take a quick bath and then I'll be off to bed."

Mina gets up and looks down at Alfred who is still, hugging a couch pillow and pouting. She sighs at him before turning away.

"Goodnight!" she says making her way to the bathroom.

"Night Mina," Alfred replies loud enough for her to hear from behind the closed door.

He turns his head to his little A.I. that was sitting there beside him.

It's screen was off and all he saw was his reflection through the black mirror of its glass.


	5. An Invitation of Convenience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An invitation to a wedding is sent out to all the participants of The System, new questions arise when Alfred is told some suspicious details.  
> Edward begins to feel his loneliness crash down on him, while Florence wonders why he is so reluctant to go to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter that feeds in more info for future plot and relationship development :P

Birds chirp as the sun slowly sinks below the trees. With tired eyes, Edward watches the sky go from a light pink to a dark indigo, it was quiet like it was everyday.

'10m 28d 4hr'

The silence was nice, he never liked loud chaos anyway, but it becomes unnerving sometimes.

It was too quiet, too still for his sanity.

Maybe it was because he's lonely.

It makes him aware of his loneliness and it's unsettling.

There was no one he could really talk to, all he and Florence did was small talk. Short sentences to get through the day.

Edward tried to fill the silence with the radio that was on the fireplace mantle but all the stations were too fuzzy to enjoy.

The tension between him and Florence was growing and he could feel it every time they did speak. Like something was missing and he was sure she's noticing it too, trying to persuade him that it's alright if he slept with her in the bed and that he didn't have to ask to sit next to her on the sofa.

Edward takes a deep breath and walks away from the window and looks around the cabin absently. Florence was currently in the bedroom doing something that he did not care to know and he wondered what there was that he could do.

No books, no television, no internet and apparently no good radio.

He sighs and plops down onto the sofa, running a hand through his messy hair.

Edward's coach suddenly rings in his pocket.

He frowns and takes it out, it's screen is lit up with a notification.

' _Edward, You have an Invitation._ '

"A what?"

' _An Invitation._ '

He stares at it confused, he's never gotten one of these before, "An Invitation?"

' _Correct._ '

Florence walks out from the bedroom with her personal Coach in hand, she looks just about as lost as Edward is.

"Are you getting this?" she asks.

' _Florence, You have an invitation._ '

"Yeah, it's saying something about an 'invitation'."

' ** _Edward, You have an invitation._** '

"Alright, I know!"

Florence sits on the armrest beside him, making him adjust his position, "I assume we open it." she says.

Edward taps his screen to open the blinking notification, Florence does the same.

 

' _Hello fellow TS participant,_

 

_You are invited to join the wedding celebration of Curator, Edna Coke, and her husband at this time tomorrow evening. We hope you and your partner will join us on this occasion to help celebrate what The System was created to do. To find you your one true love. That is what it has done for Edna and her husband._

_See you there! xx_ '

 

"A wedding reception?" Edward asks, skimming over the words again.

"Odd, where is it being held at?"

He shrugs, "Somewhere downtown maybe?"

A gathering? If this same message was sent to everyone in The System, that means Alfred got it too. Alfred should be there.

Edward smiled to himself, putting Coach down on the coffee table in front of him.

"Better get some sleep then, since we'll be out all evening tomorrow."

Florence looks at him with a raised eyebrow, "Yeah, which means you should sleep in an actual bed tonight."

Edward stretches his neck and hesitates, "I don't want to disturb you."

Florence gets up from the armrest and puts her Coach in her back pocket, "You won't disturb me Edward."

"A-Are you sure?-" he begins to lay back on the sofa, "because to be honest I'm probably a loud snorer and I've been told I steal the covers and-"

"Edward." she says impatiently, crossing her arms.

Edward looks at her nervously, holding his breath.

"It's been a month since we first met, and yes I don't know much about how this system works but I know that by now we should be sleeping together," Florence smiles lightly and shakes her head, "We don't have to  _do_ anything if you don't want to, I'm not going to pounce on you."

Edward bit the inside of his cheek, he was stuck.

Florence's eyes turned sad, "If you hate me then tell me."

He sat up, "I don't hate you Florence."

"Then what's the matter?!"

"I-" Edward sighs and rubs his forehead, "I -I don't know."

"Then you have no excuse not to get some decent sleep," Florence smiles slightly, "You're using up all of our coffee."

Edward smiles in spite of himself, "Alright,"

 

-

 

Later that night, Florence finds herself having trouble falling asleep.

With Edward finally laying beside her, she wondered why he was so reluctant upon sleeping in bed earlier.

She turns around to face him, he's already dozed off with his face smushed into his pillow.

She looks at him, watching his eyes stir as he dreams. Florence sighs, why are men so confusing?

Edward was genuinely kind, always polite with her and asking for her opinion on things, and also very good looking,

But he was also distant, and in a way, apathetic. Like he was purposely avoiding her as much as he could without it being obvious. Not to mention that he is terrible at lying.

There was an obvious reason he avoided sleeping with her, but what was it? Was she just not likable enough?

Edward grunts and then turns himself over to face the other way, he pulls the covers with him and clutches them like a child.

Florence huffs a laugh, seeing that she now has barely any of the covers herself.

She turns around and checks her Coach that's sitting on her bedside table,

'10m 27d 22hr'

She exhales, taking another look back at Mr.Covers-hogger who was still sleeping peacefully.

Pulling some of the covers back to her side, Florence tries to put away her thoughts for the night. Whatever this 'reception' they were invited to, she'll have a chance to talk with people that weren't just Edward and his one sentenced answers.

 

-

 

"Mina?" Alfred asks, walking into the kitchen with Coach ringing in his hand.

Mina stirs the pasta that she had cooking on the stove, looking into the pot to make sure nothing burns.

"Yeah?" she replies.

' _Alfred, you have an invitation_ '

"Do you know what this is about?" Alfred asks showing Mina the screen.

Mina sets down her stirring spoon and turns the heat on the burner down to low, she looks at Alfred's screen and squints at it.

' _Alfred you have an invitation_ '

"Should I open it?"

Mina shrugs, taking a look back at her pasta, "Why not."

Alfred taps his screen to open the invitation. He shows Mina the opened message.

As Mina reads it her eyes widen, "Oh! I know what it is. I didn't hear mine go off," she looks over to her Coach that was lit up on the sofa armrest.

Alfred frowns as he reads it himself, "It says it's a wedding celebration... Edna Coke, Isn't that your last name?"

Mina rolls her eyes carelessly, "Yes, Edna is in fact my sister."

Alfred raises his eyebrows but then frowns again watching Mina calmly turn the burner off and grab two plates from the cupboard above them.

"If she's your sister then why aren't you being more..." he motions his hand around, "-excited or happy for her?"

Mina hesitates and laughs slightly, "Because.."

"Because..?"

"Because it's a scam." she says shrugging.

Alfred blinks and tilts his head, "It's her wedding."

Mina shakes her head, putting some pasta on one of the plates, "But it's not."

"How is it not, it says it's an invitation to your sister's wedding."

"Alfred, it doesn't say wedding it says wedding  _celebration_. It's not a wedding. My sister and her husband do this every year since they actually got married 5 years ago." 

Alfred reads the message again. She's right, but why?

Mina gives Alfred the plate of pasta, "They do it to represent an ideal image to show that this dating system works. She spent so long developing this idea and wanted to make sure it worked perfectly like she imagined... even though we both know that it doesn't."

Alfred follows Mina to the small dining table, still confused but is listening to her quietly.

"These past couple years she has been strict on making sure The System has a clean reputation. Personally I think it is brilliant and I'm proud of her for being successful but, she's ignorant. When I get to speak to her, she denies or ignores my questions or recommendations on how she can improve The System even more. Hopefully tomorrow I can talk to her about our situation and she'll actually listen." 

Alfred twirls his pasta around his fork, "Why didn't you tell me sooner that your sister is the creator of The System?"

Mina shrugs, "Because I didn't want to make you think I get extra privileges or to be seen as 'the curator's little sister' and not as myself. I've told people before and they always see me differently afterward, I was afraid you would too."

Alfred tilted his head and looks at her softly, "Mina, when I see you I see a strong, beautiful and intelligent young woman and whoever saw differently was completely blind and missed out on the brilliant person that you are."

Mina looked at him and smiled, "You're always too nice to me."

Alfred chuckled, "Perhaps, but I speak nothing but the truth."

 

They both eat their dinner in comfortable silence. Alfred thought about what Mina had said, it's a shame people she was previously with took advantage of her because of her sister, she deserved better and he hoped, for her sake, that The System DID work in the end.

Alfred wonders how much Mina actually knew about The System, since her sister seems to keep everything a secret and doesn't answer her questions. That looks quite suspicious for someone who's apparently confident in their company.

Maybe the entire thing is a scam.

Whatever this 'wedding ceremony' will be tomorrow, maybe it will help answer his questions. 

A thought suddenly comes to Alfred's mind and for a moment, the corner of his lips twitch into a smile.

"Mina?" Alfred asks.

Mina looks up from her plate, "Yeah?"

"This 'wedding celebration' or whatever you would like to call it, who's all invited to it?"

"Everyone who is currently living in The System, why do you ask?" she says taking a sip of her drink.

Alfred tries to hide his smile, "No reason."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the 'wedding' ceremony... a reunion is comingggggg!  
> Comments and Kudos give me strength and a will to live! lol <3


	6. Long Time No See

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred and Edward reunite at the Wedding event, while Mina tries to speak with her sister only to be ignored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am TERRIBLY sorry for not updating, life has been a bitch and drained all of my motivation out of me. Hopefully the new year will bring me some more energy because I still adore writing and care a lot about this fic.  
> I hope people still care about it *sweats nervously*  
> Anyway, boys are back <3

Alfred looks at himself through the mirror. For ten minutes he's been fiddling with his shirt buttons, trying to decide if he looks better with his collar done up or left open.

Mina walks in and leans on the bedroom doorway.

Alfred looks at her, laughing slightly.

"Sorry, I just can't make up my mind."

Mina smiles, "Leave it undone, it's looks more  _you_  that way."

"Are you sure? It's not too..?"

"Alfred. It's fine."

Alfred bites his lip, "Alright."

Mina watches him undo his collar again, she could see his hands were shaking.

"You seem nervous," she says.

Alfred shakes his head with nonchalant.

"Me?", he chuckles, "Why would I be nervous."

Mina squints her eyes at him through the mirror, "Don't know. You'll have to introduce me to him."

Alfred freezes for a moment which confirms Mina's suspicions.

"Come on. Our cab is waiting outside." She says with a smug grin before leaving her place at the doorway.

Alfred takes a deep breath.

What if he was forgotten and all of this worry was for nothing?

What would he even say?

 

 

-

 

 

Edward and Florence walk up the cobblestone path lit up by strung lights, the sound of faint chatter begins to grow louder as they turn the corner.

Edward's impatient anxiety increases with every step, he begins searching through the groups of people as he walks by to see if he finds a familiar face.

 

"This is lovely!" Florence exclaims as she looks around the venue, "Don't you think, Edward?"

She looks up at Edward and finds him lost in his own little world, his eyes racing around them as if he's searching for something.

Florence's smile falls softly, she looks away disappointed.

Edward didn't see anyone that resembled Alfred, his shoulders drop as he gives up on looking.

He spots a food table with a section of drinks on it sitting neatly in a row. Glancing at Florence who's awkwardly looking around while clung to his side, he figures he'll need a drink to survive the evening.

"Florence?"

"hm?" Florence says turning back to Edward.

He points to the food table, "Fancy a drink?"

Florence sighs, "Sure."

He nods and smiles awkwardly. Florence lets go of Edward's arm and lets him walk away.

Finally getting proper time alone, Edward takes a deep breath as he pours himself a cup of whatever red drink they had in the bowl.

"Would you mind pouring me a glass too?"

Edward froze. A smile began to grow on his face. He knew it.

He turned around and there he was, the man he was looking for all evening.

"Alfred." Edward shook his head in amusement.

Alfred laughs as Edward gives him his glass, "I hoped I'd find you here," he says.

Edward laughs with him, "The only place you can avoid everyone without looking awkward."

After a few moments he smiles softly, "It's nice to see you again Alfred"

Alfred glances shyly down at his drink, his cheeks blush, "You too."

 

They stand there for awhile in each other's presence, both wanting to speak but neither knowing what to say. Or where to begin.

How about  _I miss you_?

Or  _I'm with someone I shouldn't be_?

What about  _I thought about you everyday since we parted_?

No. Nothing. Because both of them were too much of a coward to say a word.

 

Edward clears his throat, "So uhm, who did you come with?" He prepared himself to hear the answer to the question that's been bugging him for weeks.

Alfred laughs slightly, "Funny story actually, the system in all its glory somehow set me up with a woman, and she's a lesbian too!" Alfred shakes his head in amusement and takes a sip of his drink, "She's sweet though, and we have an agreement for things because of.. obvious.. reasons."

Edward frowns and then smiles, how ironic.

Alfred points to a girl that's talking with a couple of other women, her hair laid on her shoulder in a braid and she had a very colorful sense of style.

"That's her. You should meet her, I could ca-"

"Edward!"

Edward turns and spots Florence walking toward him.

He curses to himself, looking back at Alfred who's eyeing Florence down like a hawk.

Now? She had to intervene NOW? Only his luck he thought.

"Edward I though you were getting us drinks, not catering the entire event." Florence says half joking but serious as she gives Edward a look and grabs herself a cup.

Edward stares at Alfred like a deer in a pair of headlights.

 

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" Florence asks as she links onto Edward's arm.

He blinks, "Uhm, Florence this is Alfred. Alfred this is.. Florence."

Alfred pulls a smile, "Nice to meet you."

"How do you two know each other? Were you both together before?"

"Yes," Alfred answers, glancing at Edward or who is hiding behind his cup, "but it was rather quick. It was a shame we didn't get a longer time."

Edward coughed slightly.

"Oh, that's right! Edward spoke of you before. Twelve hours wasn't it?" Florence asked.

Alfred looked at Edward again, whose face was almost the same shade as his red drink, "Yes.."

Alfred felt a hand on his arm, realizing it's Mina he pulls a smile for her and introduces her to Edward and his.. significant other.

"Mina, this is Edward and Florence, I was paired with Edward before I met you."

Mina shakes hands with them both, though Alfred notices she shakes Florence's hand a bit longer than she probably should.

 

Just then a woman in a white dress begins clinking her glass in the front of the venue.

"May we have everyone's attention please!" she says.

Mina gasps, "That's my sister! Come on." She grabs Alfred's hand and begins pacing to the front. Alfred looks back at Edward and Florence, he finds Edward watching him with eyes full of words that should've been said. He looked as if he didn't want him to leave. Alfred sighed as Mina kept dragging him, he turned away and followed her.

 

When they got to the front, Mina's sister, Edna, and her husband were holding hands waiting for everyone to direct their attention.

"Good evening everyone, I am so glad you all could make it!"

"I don't think we had a choice." Edward mumbled into his cup.

"Thank you all for coming, truly, and I'd just like to say that do have faith in the system, because it does deliver," Edna looks her husband with a bright smile, "because it did for us." They laugh before She continues,

"Through the system, you go through so many experiences and then one day it pairs you up with your ultimate match."

Edward looks at Alfred through the crowd, his blonde hair glowing from the lights above. He felt guilty not explaining that he too was assigned someone he wasn't suppose to, but he couldn't because of Florence. God knows when he'll speak to Alfred again. Alone especially.

"The best in show, as it were." Edna continues enthusiastically, "So if you're having any doubts, hang in there." she lifts up her hand thats still holding her husband's,

"-because it really does work! Have a good night everyone."

The audience claps as they walk off stage.

 

"Now's the time to speak to her about our situation." Mina says to Alfred, grabbing his hand again to follow Edna.

Alfred follows but watches the crowd as people began to leave the party, trying to find any last sight of Edward.

Mina lets go of Alfred as she spots Edna, leaving him to stand there, searching for the man with brown curls.

 

"Edna!" Mina calls to her sister. Her sister spots her and lights up immediately. She walks over and hugs Mina.

"It's been so long!" Edna exclaims, smiling warmly at Mina.

"Since the last one I believe."

"Right." Edna says quietly, looking around them slightly.

"I came to talk because I'm in a situation that might be some concern to you." Mina says.

Edna tilts her head slightly, "How so?"

 

Alfred watches the last of the party leave the venue. At the end of path mixed in with the crowd, he finally spots them.

Florence hand in hand with Edward, leading them down the path.

Edward looks back for a moment like he's searching for someone. But before he find his way to Alfred's gaze, Florence turns his attention back forward.

Alfred sighs, he takes his Coach slightly out of his pocket to peak at the countdown.

' _10m 26d 4h_ '

He frowns and slips it back in his pocket. Why does time always drag?

Turning to where Mina is standing with her sister, Alfred hears them argue.

 

"It isn't a mistake Mina." Edna says, grabbing her bag from the ground beside her.

"It has to be!" Mina exclaims, "I don't like men!"

Edna takes a deep breath, "Maybe you do and the system is just realizing it before you do."

"Edna!"

"I have to get going!" Edna says as she begins walking the same path as everyone else is, but Mina follows her.

"It's corrupt Edna, why don't you ever listen to me!" Mina yells.

"Wilhelmina!" Edna blurted back, stopping in her tracks.

That quiets Mina immediately but she was still visibly furious.

"I must go." Her sister professed. They glare at each other before Edna walks away.

Alfred watches Mina squeeze her fists, she groans and turns to him.

"Let's go." she says, Alfred nods immediately and walks with a very annoyed Mina to their ride back home.

 

-

 

"What exactly did your sister say?" said Alfred as he brushes his teeth.

Mina aggressively takes off her shoe in the bedroom next to him, "She said it wasn't a mistake! That her 'oh so perfect system' had done the right thing," She tosses her shoe in front of her, "- Should've known she would say that. Like she'd actually help and listen to me for once."

 

Mina lays back on the bed as she thinks.

She remembers greeting Edward, Alfred apparently partnered with him before. She saw Alfred's face when they greeted, he looked almost jealous.

"So who's Edward?" Mina says, "Is he why you were so nervous getting ready earlier?"

She hears Alfred freeze for a moment, she smirks.

Spitting his toothpaste residue into the sink, Alfred responds, "I told you when you met him, we were coupled together before I met you."

"But you were only with one other person before me."

Alfred hesitates, "Yes.."

Mina smiles big and gasps dramatically, rolling over to look at Alfred as he walks out of the bathroom, "So he was your first?! No wonder you were nervous."

Alfred looks at her, "Shut up."

"How long did it last?"

"Twelve hours."

"What, the relationship or the se-"

"Mina!" Alfred cuts her off. Mina laughs as she see's the red in Alfred's cheeks grow.

"Sorry," she says, "Anyway, that is quite fast. Must've sucked when you had to depart."

Alfred nods as he climbs into bed next to her. Mina looks at him and then down at her fingers, her smile fades.

"That woman he was with tonight, what was her name again?"

Alfred raises his eyebrows for a moment in agitation, "Florence."

Mina nods, "She's pretty."

Alfred looks at her for a moment as he adjusts his pillow.

"Are you jealous of her?" she adds, picking at her nails.

Alfred hardens his expression, "Why would you say that?"

"Because it was obvious." Mina laughs slightly, looking over at him.

Alfred sighs, "I don't know I just... I thought he didn't swing that way. I mean, seeing him with another man I guess wouldn't have made a difference but..." he shakes his head.

"But it feels like betrayal." Mina finishes, "Like he lied to you."

"Something like that." Alfred says quietly.

Mina nods softly, "I get what you mean."

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated, I love you all x


	7. Clock Strikes Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred and Mina depart after their 9 month pairing, and while Edward and Florence finally sit down and chat, Alfred is paired with yet another person that he's not quite sure about yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello to anyone still reading! Hopefully it hasn't been too long since i've posted, i'm trying my best balance everything out. Anyway, Enjoy! :-)

The air was humid and the sun shown through thick clouds of mist from over the hills. The grass was covered in dew and the only sound to be heard was a bird chirping.

Alfred hears the door click shut behind him, he takes a deep breath. He looks at Mina, with her coach laying in the palm of her hand, she watches the fog move across the hills in the distance.

He takes out his own coach and looks at the countdown.

'00d 00hr 01m'

He bites his cheek, for the first time in their entire time together, neither he or Mina knew what to say. They've gotten so used to each other, so used of all the chatter and casualness. It was hard to believe that all of it had to end.

Mina inhales hesitantly, "Honestly I never would've thought it'd be this hard to say goodbye to you."

Alfred looks at her and smiles, "Thank you for dealing with me for nine months."

Mina laughs and then smiles warmly, "Thank you for being my friend."

Alfred nods, he watches Mina's smile grow sad.

"Oh come here," Alfred wraps Mina into a hug, "Don't let anyone make you believe you are worth anything less than the world."

Mina sighs into Alfred's shoulder, "I'll miss you."

"I know you will."

They laugh, letting go of each other as their timer runs out.

They both look at their coaches and hesitate to say goodbye.

They both open their mouths to say something but Alfred was too slow.

"Good luck," Mina says, she then begins to walk backward.

Alfred closes his mouth and grins, he also begins to walk backward in the other direction, "You too."

They both continue to walk away from each other, their smiles grew wider. They challenge each other on who can walk backward faster.

"So long Alfred Paget!" Mina calls out, now so far away that Alfred could barely see her face. She waves frantically.

Alfred chuckles, "May we meet again, Miss Mina Coke!" he yells back, mockingly bowing down as if she's the queen.

He watches Mina finally turn away, slowly fading into the misty hills. His smile fades as he turns forward himself.

So what happens now?

 

-

 

Edward and Florence walk down a strip of shops, though they couldn't buy books or furniture, they were allowed to buy clothing and have a cup of coffee at the downtown cafe. They headed there now but took their time as Florence glanced through all the windows at shirts and jewelry and shoes. Edward strolled along beside her, hands in his coat pockets and looking beyond at the hills at the end of the strip, the mist blending them with the cloudy sky. He'd turn and nod if Florence spoke to him, asking if a necklace looked nice or if a shirt was too vibrant to even exist.

Without Florence noticing, Edward glanced down at his coach he held in his pocket. They had exactly three months left. They remained kind to each other but distant. Edward was growing tired, it's been the longest nine months of his life and since they had barely anything to do at home that didn't involve talking to each other, he could tell Florence was getting agitated as well.

So they decided to spend most of their evenings out, they'd go through shops, walk through the park, read books in the library, or do about anything that caught their eye. Which honestly wasn't much but anything was better than sitting in their couped up cottage being weighed down by the tension between them.

 

One night a couple of months before, Florence had gone to take a bath but two hours later she still hadn't left the bathroom.

Edward became worried but didn't want to intrude on her privacy. He waited ten more minutes before he decided he should at least knock on the door.

He knocked on the door lightly, "Florence? Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied, she sounded melancholy.

Edward bit his cheek, "Can I open the door?"

"Sure."

Edward opened the door just a crack, enough for them to see each other. Florence was in the tub, covered in a mound of bubbles. She was looking out the big window beside her, her head laying on her arm. Edward could tell that something was wrong.

He frowned, "You've been in here for quite a while."

"I know," she said, not even looking back at him.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

Florence shook her head lightly, lifting it up so her chin laid on her arm.

"No.. I just miss my friends back home, that's all."

Edward looked at her for a moment and then down at his shoes. He knew it was more than that and he felt horrible for it.

"I'll leave you alone then," he said softly, "I'm sorry for disturbing you."

Florence didn't even look back. Didn't glance at him once.

Edward softly closed the door.

 

Since then Florence has been acting differently, taking less effort to start conversations, makes excuses to be in a different room than him, and there would be times where Edward would look up from whatever he was doing and find her looking at him. Like she was trying to figure something out that she didn't know.

 

They walk up to the cafe door, Edward opens it and lets Florence walk in. He walks in after her, the smell of coffee beans and brewed tea instantly hits him in the face. The cafe was small but warm, the walls were exposed brick and it was lit by the big windows letting in light in the front. It felt familiar to Edward, it reminded him of a coffee shop he used to go to while in Uni.

He follows Florence to the counter, she orders a lavender and honey latte. She begins to hand the cashier money but Edward stops her.

"I'll get it," he says. Florence looks at him and he smiles slightly,

"It's the least I can do."

Florence watches him hand the cashier money, "A coffee with two sugars please," he says.

"You didn't have to do that," Florence says, putting her own money back into her bag as they wait for their drinks.

Edward looks at her and nods his head, "I did."

They exchange looks for a moment as the cashier hands them their drinks, Edward thanks them and then leads Florence to a small table by the window.

 

They sit in silence. Florence watches rain trickle down the tall windows beside her, the heavy early fog had turned into light rain and it was fitting to how she felt. Edward was playing with the lid of his coffee, looking up at Florence every once in a while, hoping that she wouldn't be staring back.

"Do you remember that weird event we went to a few months back?" Florence asks out of the blue.

Edward glances up at her and then back down to his lid, "You mean the wedding reception?"

Florence nods.

"Yeah, why?" Edward replies.

Why? Because that girl with the quirky sense of style kept popping back into her mind.

Florence shakes her head slightly, "Nothing, just.." she runs her hand up her arm, "that girl that was with uhm-"

"Alfred."

"Yeah."

"What about her?"

Florence shrugs, she remembered when they shook hands. Her hand felt soft but strong, and her eyes had a playful warmth to them. "I don't know, we didn't really have a chance to talk to her. She seemed nice."

Edward picked at his coffee lid and frowned slightly, "I guess so."

"Her name was Mina wasn't it?"

Edward stopped toying with his coffee and looked at Florence, "Why are you so curious all of the sudden? That was months ago."

Florence frowns, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair defensively, "I don't know, I just started thinking about it, is that alright?"

He guiltily looks back down at his coffee, "Yeah, sorry."

Florence sighs and looks back out the window. Mina was Alfred's partner, but it was odd because they didn't seem like they should be a couple.

"You seemed close with that Alfred," she glances back at Edward who's looking back at her, "I watched you two from afar before I walked up. There was something special there."

Edward inhales sharply, straightening up in his chair and looking out the window.

"Florence I need to tell you something. And I feel horrible for not telling you when we first met."

Florence frowns, what the hell does that mean?

"What is it?"

"You'll probably hate me for not telling you sooner."

"Edward just tell me." This was it. He's going to finally admit that he hates her.

He bit his lip anxiously, "I don't know why The System put us together. It must've been a program error or something because-"

Florence impatiently motions for him to finish.

"I-I'm not interested in women," He gulps, "At all."

Florence stares at him. What.

Edward stares back waiting for a reaction.

"Are you joking," Florence blinks.

"No."

They stare blankly at each other more.

Every little thing that Florence originally thought was a red flag that he thoroughly hated her flashed through her mind and everything became clear.

She bursts into laughter.

Edward looks around awkwardly, "What?"

"After all this time?" she laughs, "All the stress you put me through!"

Edward looks at her confused, "What do you mean?"

"All this time I thought it was because you hated me! God," she laughs again and then sighs with relief, "You are unbelievable."

"I am really sorry, I've been wanting to tell you but-"

"But you didn't want to hurt my feelings?"

Edward nods.

Florence smiles softly, "Edward, not telling me hurt me more than telling me ever would."

Edward sighs in defeat, "I know, I was stupid not to just tell you. Please believe me when I say I'm deeply sorry for any pain that I caused."

Florence smiles and grabs his arm, "I forgive you."

Edward smiles back.

Florence leans back in her seat again and laughs slightly.

"What?" Edward asked.

She shakes her head bewildered, "So that's why you demanded to sleep on that tiny couch for weeks?"

Edward laughs and nods.

"You are dedicated, Edward, I'll give you that." Florence laughs.

 

-

 

Alfred rushes into Ciro's, he was running a few minutes late to his next assigned date. He forgot how fast they assign them and had to hastily dress up. Sitting in his own room getting dressed in silence he realized how much he missed Mina's clothing advice and quirky comments. He hopes to at some point meet up with her again and hopes whoever she'll be paired with next treats her well.

Alfred looks at his coach, "Coach, what table am I going to again?"

" _Table 201_."

Alfred looks up and scans the room, he spots a man with black hair sitting alone and waiting patiently. That must be it.

He walks over to the booth and looks at the number.

_201._

He sits down nervously,

"Hello, terribly sorry about being late, I'm Alfred Paget."

The man looked at him in curiosity, he held out his hand for Alfred to shake.

"William Peel, but you can call me Will."

Alfred took his hand and took a good glance at the man.

His raven black hair was gelled but it's curls still fell through, and his eyes could be competition for Alfred's as they were a deep, royal blue. He wore a black blazer and black jumper underneath. He had a classy vibe, you could tell that he was a charmer.

They let go of each other's hands. As a waiter walks by their table, Will stops him.

"A bottle of champagne, please," he winks and then looks back at Alfred with a smile as the waiter walks away.

Alfred watches him intently, wondering if Will will make him regret signing up for The System or not.

"Should we see how much time we have together?" he speaks up.

William looks at him with an intrigued smirk, "Sure."

Alfred nods and takes a deep breath and pulls out his coach. Will does the same.

"One... Two... Th-"

"Three."

They both tap their screens, Alfred glances up at Will for a moment for interrupting his countdown.

"Ah! Three months." William exclaims, he sets down his coach on the table.

Alfred nods with a warm grin but on the inside, he prays that William won't want to make him scream for the next 90 days.

Will raises his eyebrow, "So, Paget, what brings you to the system."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you know, comments and kudos give me a will to live


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